From Sitex steel doors to technology-enabled security, discover Orbis Protect’s fascinating journey
For over 40 years, Orbis Protect Ltd (Orbis) has been serving as the UK’s leading provider of essential vacant property services, site security and lone worker protection. Faithful to its mission, the company is committed to securing clients’ businesses and providing peace of mind to their employees. Additionally, it plays a vital role in maintaining service continuity and reducing the costs typically associated with vacant and damaged property.
Orbis has experienced a remarkable growth journey, which Chris Colquitt, Strategic Development Director, discusses in greater detail. “Across the various areas we cover, our primary focus is on protecting customers. From securing vacant properties with Sitex (a steel solution) to prevent unauthorised access, to our current position offering a wide portfolio of technology-enabled solutions, we have come a long way in a short time. Recently, we were fortunately selected for investment several times, thanks to our strong leadership, positioning, and trust from our customers. We are now in our second investment cycle and have experienced tremendous growth over these last five years. During this time, we acquired a company named Optosafe and integrated their temporary closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and alarm systems into our portfolio. This reinforced our protection services with an added layer of technology, making them quicker, cheaper, and more effective.
“With Optosafe, we also gained our wholly owned and operated alarm receiving centre in The Wirral, which is a rare asset in our industry. By monitoring our technology estate around-the-clock, experts are brought in any time an alarm is triggered. One of our operators is immediately alerted and can see the event to determine the necessary course of action. This could include informing our customer, triggering a guard response, or even alerting the police. As part of our protection services, we collaborate with various local authorities, NHS trusts, and commercial organisations to provide protection fobs to support people, not just properties. These fobs establish a direct link between individuals in distress and our alarm receiving centre. With a direct hotline to every police force in the UK, Orbis can promptly connect those in need with the authorities, sometimes ensuring an even faster response than dialling emergency services,” he adds.
A little over a month ago, Orbis made yet another strategic expansion with the acquisition of Vigilance, which specialises in security in residence. “Vigilance works exclusively with former members of the armed forces, including ex-Gurkha regiments. Our customers trust in the protection they receive because of the badge of approval in knowing they are working with armed forces professionals,” says Chris. “Residential security offers a cost-effective solution by deploying personnel to stay on-site to augment other security measures. It compliments traditional guarding and security systems but doesn’t fully replace them because these individuals work in shifts. Still, their presence on site ensures it remains occupied, thereby deterring potential claims, such as squatting rights. By preventing squatters, we significantly reduce the costs and hassle of eviction processes. Overall, customers have responded very well to the integration of Vigilance and security in residence into our wider offering,” he continues.
Monitoring and protection
Speaking about Orbis’ evolving product portfolio, Chris is particularly enthusiastic about its most recent innovation. “Most recently, Orbis has developed the Rapid
Protect in direct response to feedback from customers regarding mobile CCTV towers. Although traditional towers are very effective and can remain in place as long as needed, their installation can be quite slow, sometimes taking up to six hours depending on the specific units. Additionally, they only solve one very specific problem on a site. This is where the Rapid Protect steps in. Resembling a large golf trolley with wheels, it allows for easy installation by a single person, or two if solar energy is wanted, and can be deployed within half an hour. Moreover, it reduces the number of masts deployed to a site by integrating lighting as well as a wide array of detection features. To make sure nothing is missed, the Rapid Protect system is monitored and controlled through our alarm receiving centre, just like all our products.
“If an intruder breaches the perimeter of a site with traditional reactive lighting, the lights will illuminate and then turn off after a minute. However, a building protected by a Rapid Protect is immediately illuminated whilst a camera tracks the intruder, who will be issued a personalised warning from our alarm receiving centre. Personalised warnings tend to have the desired effect and intruders swiftly leave the premises. This approach strikes a neat balance between rapid deployment, comprehensive monitoring, and instant protection. Moreover, our cameras are equipped with artificial intelligence to track movement and empower our operators to quickly review footage, thus enabling informed decision-making to determine whether a more forceful response is required,” Chris enlightens.
Employee wellbeing
The security industry notoriously presents challenges in staff training and mobility. Aware of the crucial role its employees play in delivering superior customer protection, Orbis continuously strives to be the ideal employer through various initiatives. “We are currently launching new programmes to develop our employees’ skills in-house. As we continue to expand and offer new solutions, we strive to provide our current employees with more opportunities for growth and training. By doing so, we ensure that their next promotion comes from within our organisation, hence keeping valuable skills and people inside Orbis. Unusually for our industry, we place a strong emphasis on mental health. Around 60 percent of our staff are on the job every day, diligently completing difficult tasks to the highest standards. We recognise the impact this can have on their well-being and have taken proactive measures to support their mental health. This includes the appointment of mental health first aiders and champions, as well as the implementation of initiatives to facilitate access to healthcare and mental healthcare services,” Chris ends.
Through clever acquisitions, dedication to superior customer service, and a passion for innovation and employee wellbeing, Orbis is set to continue leading the way in essential protection services.